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Monday, March 24, 2014

Raising a Fearless Warrior

There is a message by John Piper that I think you may find helpful.  It is a biographical message about John G. Paton who was the third missionary to the New Hebrides Islands.  The first two were clubbed to death cooked and eaten a few minutes after they landed on the shore.  Paton went 19 years later with people telling him, "You will be eaten by cannibals!"  Did not deter him.
How do we raise kids who can stand up to the threat of being eaten by cannibals? Thoughts at DTTB.
Why?

One of the main reasons was the influence of his father.  Thus the connection to this blog.

You can listen to this in your browser, download a pdf of the message, or download a MP3 here.  It is worth more than the hour and twenty minutes it will take you to listen to it.  I have listened to it so many times I just about have it memorized.

Enjoy.  I would love to hear your reactions to it when you have had a chance to listen.  Let me know in the comments.
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2 comments:

  1. chuckMarch 25, 2014 at 11:04 AM

    I agree - a story that needs to be told. The promise to Abraham (Gen.12:1-3) helps to establish the family directly in the line of the blessing to the nations, rooted in Christ as Paul points out. The O.T. firmly directs the role of the family, and the failure of Israel to obey and invest in generations is graphically portrayed in Judges (and many other places). This same pattern of The Message being acculturated and not passed on in purity is the history of every so-called Christian culture in the last 2000 years as well.

    A few weeks back we met a lovely young lady who desires with passion to serve God. She had the same surname as a godly patriarch who had had a huge impact in our lives as young marrieds some 40 years ago. We wondered....and low and behold she didn't know. After checking with her dad, she learned that our old mentor was her great-grandfather. Her grandfather was also godly and committed to serving God as he had been taught but (I personally think to escape a difficult situation with his marriage) immersed himself in ministry, so he lost his family. As a result her father really didn't talk about it.

    It was our thrill to tell her of some of that spectacular spiritual history, showing her two books written by her great and great-grandfathers, as well as giving her letters he had written to us. The promise of God was still holding, despite the lapse of a generation. But where would she be if her grandfather had
    invested more in his family?

    In one way, the links of our family heritage are very fragile. Yet the promises of God are sure. As I look back at my own parenting I grieve over the missed opportunities and muddied priorities. Yet I also have great gratitude to the Lord for all the ways I see His hand sometimes overshadowing my fumbles, or repairing them and crafting a different person than I had intended (or even hoped).

    It's not over; I now have not only children who need parents in very different roles. And grandchildren, who need grandparents to pass on to the their spiritual heritage (Deut.6:6,7). It's more difficult now, with all our children scatted around the country, but I hope to do better. It's a life-time journey. And praise God for Mike and those like him who call us to invest in what's REALLY important - the next generations!

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